FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH WYLIE
IS NOW
THE CROSS CHURCH PRESENTED BY THE CROSS CHURCH.
T
HE CROSS CHURCH has been impacting Wylie, surrounding towns, and places around the world for nearly 152 years. It began in 1870 when a small group of rural residents started a church called The Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church of Nickelville. The church became The Missionary Baptist Church of Wylie at the turn of the century, moving from Nickelville to its present location. Relocating to be near the railroad depot enabled the church to reach and serve more people in this emerging community of Collin County. The name was updated again in 1942 to become The First Baptist Church Dr. Kris Segrest (“Pastor Kris”) of Wylie, and in April 2022, First Baptist Church of Wylie became The Cross Church. While much has changed across the decades, from attire, to worship style, building improvements, location, and even name updates, the mission of The Cross Church remains the same – removing barriers to spread God’s fame by making disciples of all people. The congregation believes God gave the church a new name because He is expanding their assignment. “In the last 17 years, this church has shifted from serving almost exclusively Wylie to becoming a regional church. People from at least four counties and over 30 cities 4 |
| May/June 2022
attend worship services here every weekend,” said Dr. Kris Segrest (“Pastor Kris”), lead pastor of The Cross Church. “In fact, nearly half of the people who attend the church live in cities other than Wylie.” Perhaps most notable in the name update is the removal of the “Baptist” identifier. Pastor Kris said the decision to remove Baptist from the church name was made after reviewing research as well as direct feedback from church members and visitors who indicated negative connotations associated with the Baptist label, especially among non-churchgoers, kept themselves and/or people they invited from visiting the church. However, it is important to be clear that The Cross Church is not moving away from its Baptist roots. “We are not changing our doctrine,” Pastor Kris said. “Nor are we becoming a non-denominational church. But we have come to realize that denominations are man-made institutions and have become a barrier to some who might otherwise visit the church.” Pastor Kris said the church is not leaving the Southern Baptist Convention, and it will continue to invest in impactful mission efforts such as the Southern Baptist Convention’s Cooperative Program.
